The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
A wide variety of percussion musical instruments have been developed in used in virtually every instrument-accompanied musical genre. One type of percussion instrument, the box-shaped cajón, originated in Peru and first achieved widespread popularity in the 1850s. In fact, the cajón has been the most widely used Afro-Perusian musical instrument since the 19th century. The origins of the instrument are subject to debate, however the cajón was most likely developed by slave musicians in the Spanish colonial Americas. It is believed that these musicians modified crates, dresser drawers and other boxes into musical instruments similar to the Angola and the Antilles instruments of west and central Africa. By disguising these instruments as common crates, the slaves were able to avoid 19th century Spanish colonial bans on possession of music and music-related equipment by slaves.
Today, the cajón, also known as a drum kit in a box, cajón box, or Cuban box drum, is an integral part of Peruvian and Cuban music. Cajóns often accompany acoustic guitars in modern, western contemporary music. The Cajón is also becoming popular in styles such as blues, pop, rock, funk, fusion, and jazz.
Cajóns may be constructed in a variety of sizes. Typically, a cajón comprises a wooden box. Five of the sides are constructed of half to three-quarter inch thick wood. A thinner sheet of wood (e.g., plywood) is fastened on as the sixth side and acts as the striking surface or head of the drum. This striking surface is often called the tapa. The side opposite the tapa may comprise one or more sound hole openings. Alternatively, the sound hole may be positioned on the side, bottom, or top of the cajón.
Cajóns may additionally comprise one or more cords, guitar strings, rattles, or drum snares pressed against the inner surface of the tapa in order to alter the sound profile of the cajón. Such additional elements may add a buzz-like effect or tone to the cajón. The addition of guitar strings may expand the sound profile of the cajón by adding one or more frequencies to the sounds produced by the cajón. Such guitar strings must be tuned in order to produce the desired sound.
A cajón is played by tapping, slapping, and striking the tapa with the hands, feet and, in some cases, mallets. Typically, the top and bottom edges of the tapa may be left unattached (or loosely connected) and may be slapped against the frame of the box. A cajón player typically sits astride the box and strikes the tapa located between their knees. The cajón produces markedly different sounds depending on the location the tapa is struck. This wide variety contributes to the cajón's popularity. Further expanding the variety of sounds a cajón may produce is needed.
Given the foregoing, systems, methods, and apparatuses are needed that allow for tuning of a guitar-string equipped cajón, including during a performance.